Privy Council Acts 1565 - Nine Incorporated Trades of Dundee

Mr Nathanaell sould be adjoyned to him in the said charge, had procured youre Majesties patent thairupoun under
your Majesties hand; and the other becaus the said Mr Nathanael had misknowne thame in that particulair and
intendit to intrude him selff upoun thame without thair knowlege, to thair grite greif, thay haveing speciall interesse in
the choise and nominatiou:n of a Conservatour, inrespect he is thair judge and hes his fees and dewtyis payit be thame,
and that thair must be suche a mutuall harmonie and correspondence betuix him and thame as may procure your
Majesties honnour, his credite, and thair weele; in whilk, point they constantlie afferme that the said Sir Robert had
evir bene and still is so respective as thay wer nevir better used nor thay haif bene and still ar be him and his deputis,
whereas by the contrair thay haif mony pregnant objectionis aganis Mr Nathanaell. And thay bothe desirit that we
wald gif notice heirof unto your Majestie and interpone our humble requeist unto your Majestie that no forder way
sould be gevin to this patent till thay wer first hard. And, quhairas in materis of this kynd proceding frome the just
greevis of your Majesties subjectis, who hes not the occasioun thame selffis to present thair greevis unto your Majestie,
we could not in justice refuse thame, we haif thairfoir presoomed to send up thair petitionis heirwith unto your
Majestie, to the intent that your Majestie, after dew consideratioun and examinatioun thairof, may oute of your
singulair and princelie wisdome gif suche directioun thairanent as your Majestie shall holde fitting. And so, praying
God to blisse your Majestie with mony lang and happie yeiris, we rest,-Chan.r, Mar, Murray, Perthe, Wigtoun,
Roxburgh, Melros, Lauderdaill, Dunkeld, Dunblane, Melvill, Carnegye, S. R. Cokburne, Edinburgh, 27 January 1624"
Theobalds 6 th April 1624
"Right trustie and right weilbelovit counsellour, right trustie and right weilbelovit cosines and counsellouris, and
otheris our trustie and weilbelovit counsellouris, we greete yow Weele.- Haveing ressaved your letter of the 27th of
Januair last [ante, p. 408], togidder with the petitionis thair inclosed preferred unto yow by Sir Robert Dennystoun
and the Burrowis of that our kingdome for representing unto us thair greiffis aganis Mr Nathanael Uddart as
incrotcheing upoun the ones office and the otheris privilegeis by keeping a Courte as oure Conservatour at his laite
being in Camphere and substituting a deputie in the said office, treulie we could not bot think it verie strange to heir
that he had so summarlie possest him of that office, whereof we onlie intendit the reversioun to him after the said Sir
Robertis deathe and not that he sould presentlie joyne in office with the said Sir Robert, as his signatour signed be us
doeth (as we ar credibillie informed) importe. And thairfoir these ar to require yow to call for the said signatour and to
considder the qualitie and natur thairof; whiche, yf it importe ony forder then a reversioun or securitie of the said
office to him after the present possessouris deathe, is consaved otherwayes nor we meaned. And howsoevir it be
conceaved, our pleasour is that yow gif ordour to the officiaris whome it concernis not to gif way thairto, nor suffer the
same to pas at our seallis till our Burrowis be hard for thair interesse, or making suche objectionis as thay haif to
propone for opposing the said Mr Nathanaels admissioun to that office, according to thair petitioun preferred unto
yow. And, for doing of the premissis as these salbe unto yow a sufficient warrand, so we bid yow fairwell. Frome our
Courte at Tbeobaldis, the saxt of Aprile 1624."
Holyrood-house, 15 th June 1624
“Most Sacred Soverane.-The importatioun of forreyne victuall hes bene so frequent and commoun and in so exceiding
grite abundance and quantitie thir tua or thrie yeiris bygane as the most pairt of the moneye of this kingdome hes bene
exportit and bestowit to that use; wherupoun hes followit suche ane skairstie and penurie of moneyis that nomberis of
your Majesteis subjectis of all rankis, whose burdeynis straitit thame at this terme and who wer willing and responsall
in landis and guidis to have givin unto thair creditouris satisfactioun, wer to thair greif dishablit throw the skarstie of
money to do the same. The consideratioun quhairof moved us, upoun the humble petitioun of Williame Dick and
Williame Wilkie, burgesses of Edinburgh, who wer speciall importaris of this victuall, and haid suche ane quantitie
thairof lying upoun thair handis, and lyke to spill be ressoun it wes so soone broght in and thair wer few or nane to buy
it, to grant unto thame ane licence for exportatioun of ane certane quantitie of the said victuall, especiallie quhite,
whilk wes the grayne the countre stoode least in neid of, and wherwith thay undertook to bring in money or, gif the
necessitie of the countrey sould require, the dowble quantitie of ony uther soirt of victuall whilk wes moir usefull for
the countrey. And, thay haveing leadnit tua shippis with this victuall and being upoun course towardis thair port,
expecting nothing les then ony hurt frome any with whome your Majestie yitt standis in termes of frendship and
correspondence, thair schippis wer notwithstanding persewit, buirdit, and tane be tua weare schippis of Dunkirk, and
carved into the toun of Dunkirk, wher the shippis and guidis ar maid lawfull pryse. This is a mater quhilk in our
humble opinioun wald be narowlie advertit and looked unto, not so meikle for the privat interesse of the tua honnest
men, who ar heirby verrie far damnefeit, as for the publict interesse of the whole merchant estait. For, gif this be
tollerat, and yf the forder course and progres thairof be not interruptit, the whole forreyne commerce of this
kingdome, whilk for the most pairt is intertenyed with Holland, wilbe shaikin louse and cutt of, to the undoing not
onlie of the mercheant estait, bot to the grite hurt of the rest of the kingdome. And thairfoir we will in all humilitie
presoome to recommend this matter to your Majesteis wyse and princelie consideratioun, beseiking your Majestie to
tak suche ordour thairin as in the excellencie of your princelie wisdome yow sall hold fitting, quhairthrow the honnest
men may[be] redrest and restoirit to thair shippis and guidis, and the lyk of this attempt forborne heirafter. And so,
&c. Halyrudhous, xv Junij 1624. Sic subscribitur: Geo. Hay, Mar, Lauderdaill, Jo. Erskene, Carnegie, A. Mr
Elphinstoun, Ar. Naper, S. R. Cockburne, Kilsayth, Jo. Harnmiltoun, S. A. Hammiltoun, W. Oliphant, A. Gibsoun."
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